


a little tipsy on your love

by vitale



Category: Raven Cycle - Maggie Stiefvater
Genre: Alternate Universe- No Supernatural, Fake/Pretend Relationship, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-06
Updated: 2021-03-04
Packaged: 2021-03-11 23:53:35
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 12,411
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29251008
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/vitale/pseuds/vitale
Summary: Ronan needs someone to pretend to be his boyfriend. Blue talks Adam into helping him.
Relationships: Ronan Lynch/Adam Parrish
Comments: 40
Kudos: 287





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> hi everyone! i hit a writer’s block with my other longfic so i thought i’d write a little something else to try and get the creative juices flowing :) 
> 
> this is gonna be two or three chapters and i already have most of it planned so it shouldn’t take too long to post!
> 
> hope you enjoy~

“My friend needs you to pretend to be his boyfriend for a week,” Blue says in a bored tone, as though that succession of words is supposed to make any amount of sense to Adam.

“Excuse me?”

Blue shrugs dismissively. It doesn’t make Adam any less confused. “My friend told his family he was dating someone a while ago. Now his brothers are visiting from DC and they want to meet the boyfriend. It’s one of my rich asshole friends so he can pay you. Actually, I told him you wouldn’t do it for free.”

“I still don’t know why you’re friends with rich assholes. More importantly—why are you asking _me_?”

Blue shrugs again. “He doesn’t know anyone else who could help. I told him my best friend wouldn’t mind. Do you mind? You don’t have to do it, but it’s just for a week, and I figured money is money, you know?”

Adam doesn’t even know what to say to that. “Does he know I’m not straight?”

“Well, no. I didn’t know if you’d be okay with me telling him. It’s not important. Just consider it a new part-time job.”

Adam must look unconvinced, because Blue quickly pushes on. “Look, my friend isn’t actually that much of a dick. Well, he is, but I wouldn’t put you up to it if I thought it’d be more trouble than it’s worth. His little brother is really nice, and Declan is a prick, but he’s probably too happy he finally found someone to start shit.”

“Do I have to worry about them being homophobic?”

“No. They know he’s dating a guy, if that’s what you’re asking.”

Adam takes a moment to think about it. He doesn’t particularly feel like being someone’s trophy boyfriend for a week, but Blue is right, money is money, and fake dating someone for a week isn’t the worst thing Adam would consider doing for a few hundred bucks.

“Alright,” Adam says after a beat. 

“Really?” Blue asks, sounding overly surprised considering it was her idea.

“Did you think I would say no?”

“I thought you’d need longer to think about it.”

“You always tell me I think too much,” Adam deflects, because he doesn’t want to explain to Blue that money is tight at the moment and that he might have to quit working at the flower shop soon.

Blue rolls her eyes. “You picked a weird time to stop being an overthinker, but I’m not complaining. Give me your phone.”

Adam hands her his phone and lets her enter his _fake boyfriend’s_ number into it. Adam downs the rest of his coffee and tries not to thinks too hard about what he’s just gotten himself into.

———

Blue’s rich asshole friend in question turns out to be Ronan Lynch. 

Adam almost tells Blue she should’ve led with that information before Adam said yes, but then he realizes it doesn’t matter. Adam isn’t even sure Blue knows Adam remembers him.

Adam’s only met the guy once a few months back at Blue’s graduation party. Adam was tipsy—a rare occurrence—and the only things Adam remembers about him is that he’s insanely attractive, for one, and that he’d looked at Adam with so much disdain when Adam had almost spilled his drink on him that Adam had been tempted to throw the drink in his face just to see what he would do. Adam might or might not have tried to pick a fight after that. It’s all very fuzzy, and Adam can’t have made too much of a fool of himself because then Blue’s other friend was there, and Noah was maneuvering Adam out of there.

But whatever. That was months ago, and Adam was drunk, and Lynch probably doesn’t even remember him. And if the guy somehow does remember Adam, it’s not like it matters in the grand scheme of things. Adam will help him out, and get his money, and they can go back to pretending the other doesn’t exist. 

Or at least that’s what Adam tells himself.

———

Adam texts Ronan Lynch after his shift at the flower shop.

Blue warned him that Lynch uses his phone very scarcely, but Adam still feels a flicker of irritation when he only gets a reply four hours later.

He gets even more annoyed when he gets no response to his follow-up text despite the read receipt letting him know Lynch has seen his text.

Adam decides to call him.

“Hello?” Adam says tentatively when it picks up.

The other side of the line is quiet for a beat. “Hey.”

“Is this Ronan Lynch?” Adam asks, because he doesn’t know what else to say. He remembers Lynch’s voice disturbingly well for someone he’s only met once when he was drunk and didn’t exchange more than a few words with. 

“Yeah. Parrish, is it?” Lynch breathes out. There’s rustling, and then Lynch’s voice filters through the speaker. “I didn’t ask you to call.”

Another spark of irritation. “You weren’t replying to my texts.”

“I’m kind of in the middle of something.” More rustling, and then a shrill cry—was that a _bird_? “Can I call you back?”

“Sure,” Adam says flatly. 

Lynch hangs up.

Adam counts to three and plugs in his phone to charge. He’s halfway through his readings when his phone rings, and he deliberately waits a few seconds before picking up.

“Hi.”

“Sorry about that,” Lynch says. Adam wonders if he’s imagining the awkward note in his voice.

“It’s fine,” Adam says. He clears his throat. “I just wanted to discuss a few things.”

“Mhm.”

“When do you want me to—” Adam pauses. He really doesn’t want to say the words _when do you want me to be your pretend boyfriend._ Lynch seems to pick up on it, because he answers before Adam has time to finish his sentence.

“Next Saturday.”

Adam waits for him to elaborate, but Lynch is clearly not a talker. “Do you need me around every day for a week?”

Lynch takes a while to answer. Adam doubts he actually thought about the specifics of hiring someone to be his fake boyfriend. “We’ll have lunch with my brothers on Saturday. Then they’ll want to see you again a couple of times after that. They leave on Thursday.”

Adam can work with that. “I’m free on the weekend and then every day after four.”

“Okay.”

Adam waits, but Lynch seems happy to leave it at that. He rushes to think of everything else he wanted to talk about before Lynch decides to hang up. “How long are we supposed to have been dating for?”

“A few months.”

“We need to get our story straight.”

Lynch lets out a grunt. “You can think of something.”

“Are you going to let me do all the work?”

The other end goes quiet. Adam winces. He hadn’t meant to say that out loud. 

“I just thought it would be easier for you to come up with something. I’m fine with whatever.”

“How did you tell them you met your boyfriend?”

“I didn’t.”

Adam pinches the bridge of his nose. “You didn’t tell them anything about your imaginary boyfriend until now?”

“Nothing you need to know about.”

Adam rolls his eyes before remembering Lynch can’t see him. “I doubt that. I need to know everything you told them if we’re going to sell our relationship.”

Lynch makes a put-upon noise, like it’s Adam who’s being difficult. “We don’t really do the communication thing, okay? I just told them I met someone and that we were taking it slow. They don’t know anything about you.”

Adam exhales. This might end up being harder than he thought it would be. “What are your brothers like?”

“Matthew is the nicest person you’ll meet. Declan is a dick but he won’t be a dick to you.”

“Why not?”

Lynch’s voice turns wry. “I’m not letting him be rude to my boyfriend.”

Adam doesn’t have anything to say to that. “I’m going to text you some ideas in a bit. Can you answer your texts?”

“Fine,” Lynch says, sounding more put out than Adam thinks he has any right to.

“One more thing,” Adam says awkwardly. He doesn’t really know how to breach that topic, but he’d rather get it out of the way now. “About PDA.”

Lynch is silent for so long Adam has to check if he ended the call. “I didn’t know you wanted to hold my hand so bad.”

Adam almost bristles before realizing that the mocking edge to his voice is probably just his version of a joke. “Very funny.”

“My brothers won’t care if we don’t—do PDA. Declan probably doesn’t want to see it. Just—I guess we’ll just have to wing it.”

“I’m comfortable with whatever,” Adam says. He goes for flippant, and is glad it doesn’t come out weirdly desperate. How attractive he knows Lynch is absolutely doesn’t factor into this. Adam just wants to do his job well.

“Good to know.”

They discuss payment, and then Lynch claims his pizza delivery is there and he has to hang up. Adam wonders if he’s just trying to get rid of him, but it’s not like Adam is particularly enjoying this conversation either. 

“Do you know how to get to the _Rochambeau_?”

“The what?”

“The restaurant.”

Adam doesn’t let himself be embarrassed. “Just send me the location.”

“I’ll pick you up,” Ronan says belatedly, like it has just occurred to him. Adam almost protests, but he has no clue where that restaurant even is, and he’d rather not blow money on transportation if he can avoid it. 

“Okay,” Adam says. “Uh, see you later then.”

“Yeah,” Lynch drawls, and that’s the end of it.

———

Adam texts Lynch three different scenarios of how they met, coupled with a breakdown of basic things about Adam—where he goes to school, what are his part-time jobs, and a few things Adam doesn’t mind Lynch knowing about him, which, granted, is a pretty short list. 

Lynch just sends back _I don’t go to parties_ (factually untrue, but Adam lets it slide) and _I would rather die than get a dating app_ , so Adam figures they’ll have to go with the first scenario. As expected, he doesn’t share anything personal with Adam, and Adam has to bite back his frustration. Adam isn’t going to force Lynch to put in some effort, but he better not blame Adam if the whole thing falls apart because his brothers quickly realize they don’t know shit about each other.

That’s until Adam gets a new text half an hour later: _dead parents. matthew’s the youngest and declan’s the oldest. they both live in dc._ followed by a brief breakdown of where Lynch goes to school, where he currently resides, and where his family used to live (Adam raises an eyebrow at _grew up on a farm in virginia_ ). Lynch even mentions his pet raven, Chainsaw, and Adam is glad they’re not face to face because he doubts Lynch would have appreciated the snort Adam lets out.

To his credit, Lynch answers most of Adam’s texts within ten minutes after that. Adam starts thinking the whole thing might not be a lost cause after all. Lynch is clearly not very forthcoming, so his brothers will probably not find it weird if they’re not overly open about their relationship. They can probably get away with keeping things vague, and Adam thinks they have enough minimal knowledge about each other to keep up the ruse for a week. Adam isn’t too happy about having to talk about himself to divert from talking about Lynch, but the deal they agreed on is good enough that Adam is willing to make the sacrifice.

Now Adam just hopes nothing goes wrong out of left field.

———

Ronan Lynch is every bit as attractive as Adam’s alcohol-muddled brain remembers him to be.

Adam allows himself to appreciate that fact for one moment before going back to business. 

“You’re late,” Adam says in lieu of a greeting. Lynch doesn’t answer, and Adam realizes he’s staring at Adam from the driver’s seat. 

Adam self-consciously runs a hand across his face. He doesn’t think he can get used to Lynch’s piercing gaze. “Um.”

Lynch snaps out of it. “Fashionably late.”

Adam fastens his seatbelt without looking at him. “I was hoping you’d be early so we’d have some time to practice.”

Being in the car with Lynch is weirder than Adam has anticipated. Adam doesn’t think he was fully hit with the implications of what they’re doing until now. It’s clearly too late to back out, but maybe Adam should’ve thought about it longer before letting himself be roped into this.

“Relax,” Lynch says, like he can sense Adam getting nervous. Adam chances a look at him. Adam was worried he’d feel underdressed, but Lynch is wearing a simple black shirt with dark blue jeans. He smells of cologne and aftershave, and Adam almost leans in towards him before he catches himself. “Don’t make this a big deal.”

Adam stares at him. “Are you asking me not to take this seriously?”

Lynch keeps his eyes on the road. “My brothers aren’t going to test you or try to trip you up. Just be casual. I told them you had somewhere to be after lunch, so this won’t take more than an hour.”

That does make Adam feel a bit better. “What did you tell them?”

“That you had a shift at the flower shop.”

Adam takes a deep breath and tries to clear his head. “We met through Blue four months ago at her place. I asked for your number and we texted for a bit after that. I asked you out after two weeks and we grabbed a coffee.”

“We went out for pizza,” Ronan corrects.

Adam lets it go. “We hit it off and we’ve been dating ever since. We haven’t moved in together yet. We don’t see each other a lot because we’re both busy—” 

Ronan gives him a look.

“ _I’m_ busy,” Adam amends. He forgot Lynch was jobless and had very little responsibilities that didn’t involve hanging out with his pet raven and lying to his brothers about having a boyfriend. “Is that all?”

Lynch nods.

Adam is silent for a bit. “This all sounds a bit too generic.”

“They won’t care.”

“We could always say we met at a party.”

“I told you, I don’t do parties. And how is that any less generic?”

Adam had carefully avoided mentioning the graduation party, and he wasn’t going to do it now. “It was our four months anniversary last week. You took me out for dinner.”

“Italian.”

“Sure.”

Lynch seems to remember something. “We went to Vienna last month.”

Adam gives him an unimpressed look. “This is the kind of important details I was asking you about yesterday.”

Lynch shrugs. “I forgot.”

Adam heaves a long-suffering sigh. “Why _Vienna_?”

“Needed to get out of something.”

“I’ve never even left the country,” Adam mumbles under his breath. Lynch pretends not to hear him. “Why didn’t we take any pictures?”

“I’m not a picture kind of person.”

“How fortunate.” Something occurs to Adam then. “My name is Adam.”

Lynch shoots him a glance. “I know that.”

“Just making sure.”

“So,” Lynch starts. Adam gives him a curious look. “You’ve known Sargent since high school.”

Adam wonders why Lynch needs to know that before he realizes belatedly that he’s trying to make small talk. Adam thinks there are more important things they could be discussing right now, but Adam figures it can’t hurt to know a bit more about their backgrounds. “Yes.”

“You dated for a bit.”

Adam bristles. “She told you that?”

“It came up,” Ronan says cryptically. Adam doesn’t know why it rubs him the wrong way. Maybe it’s the fact that they don’t really talk about it (or so Adam thought), or that he’s not sure how he feels about Blue talking about him with her rich—and _hot_ —friends without Adam present.

“Have we met before?” Lynch suddenly asks.

Adam freezes comically. “Don’t think so.”

Lynch hums noncommittally. “Sargent talks about you a lot.”

Adam makes a mental note to ask Blue what on earth she could possibly have to say about Adam to people he doesn’t know. “All good, I hope.”

“Not really.”

Adam shoots him a look. Lynch’s lips twitch at the corner. “Kidding.”

“You’re a comedian.”

“I try.”

“What happens if they don’t buy it?” Adam asks uncertainly. Adam likes to think of himself as pretty thick-skinned, but he really doesn’t want to deal with the humiliation of being found out.

“They will,” Lynch says with more confidence than Adam thinks the situation warrants, and the rest of the drive is spent mostly in silence.

———

Adam thinks Lynch might have been right about Matthew being the nicest person Adam has ever met.

“Adam, I’m so happy to meet you!” Matthew beams at him as soon as they join them at the table. His smile is almost _too_ bright. Adam isn’t used to it. 

“You didn’t tell us your boyfriend was so handsome,” Matthew says to Lynch. It sounds so sincere that Adam almost blushes. Lynch rolls his eyes and doesn’t meet Adam’s gaze.

“Nice to meet you,” Declan tells Adam in a very different tone. His voice is exceedingly polite, bordering on cold, but Adam doesn’t let it faze him. “I was starting to believe you didn’t exist.”

Adam almost chokes on his water. Matthew bursts out laughing, and Adam is grateful for the distraction.

“Don’t be a dick,” Lynch says easily. He clearly came prepared for Declan’s particular brand of dickishness (his own words). “You know I don’t lie.”

 _Funny._ “Nice to meet you both,” Adam says, smiling amiably at both of them. 

The waiter comes with their menus. Adam curses himself for forgetting to ask about food allergies, but everything goes as smoothly as they can expect. Adam has no idea what to order, so he just asks for the same thing as Lynch. Matthew finds it adorable. Lynch smirks at him, and Adam kicks him under the table. 

“Did you have a shift today? Ronan said you worked at a flower shop.”

Adam has to remind himself not to call him Lynch. “Ronan is dropping me off after lunch.”

“I told you he had a shift this afternoon.”

“Oh, right,” Matthew says, slapping his forehead. Adam almost wonders if this was a test, but Ronan did mention that Matthew was a bit scatterbrained. Adam doubts someone with Matthew’s disposition would try to trip Adam up so early into the game. 

Declan is observing them silently, and Adam has to make an effort not to squirm. “Parrish, right?”

Adam nods. “You can call me Adam.”

“Adam,” Declan concedes. “How long have you known each other?”

“Four months,” Adam says easily. “We met through our friend Blue.”

“I miss Blue,” Matthew says dreamily. “Do you think I could see her before we leave?”

“Maybe,” Ronan says vaguely. He’s probably debating whether it would be a good idea to involve Blue in their bluff. Adam thinks he would rather not.

The waiter arrives with their food. Adam actually likes the food, which shouldn’t surprise him considering it costs as much as Adam earns in a week. Adam thinks eating will give them some respite, but Declan clearly doesn’t mind talking while he eats.

“Are you still in school?” Declan asks after a minute. 

“I’m in law school,” Adam says between two bites. Declan’s eyes light up for a moment. Adam internally rolls his eyes. 

“He’s in his last year,” Ronan pips up. He wipes his mouth and makes a face at his plate. “They don’t usually serve broccoli with this.”

Adam and Ronan are sitting next to each other, and Adam only hesitates for a second before taking the broccoli off Ronan’s plate. Ronan shoots him a bewildered look, but he quickly recovers. 

Declan and Matthew observe the whole performance like a hawk. 

Declan clears his throat after a second. “So. Law school. How is it going?”

Discussing law school with Declan is easy for Adam. Matthew jokingly calls out Declan for keeping Adam to himself, and only then does Adam realize they’ve been talking for at least fifteen minutes. He sneaks a glance at Ronan, but Ronan just looks at him with an indecipherable expression. 

“Do you have any siblings, Adam?” Matthew asks. Adam stills for a second before answering.

“I’m an only child.”

“Ronan hasn’t met your parents, has he?” Declan asks. 

The thought is almost funny to Adam. “No.”

“I already told you I haven’t met his family,” Ronan says. He looks briefly at Adam, and Adam wonders if he can tell Adam isn’t comfortable with that line of conversation. 

“I’m just making conversation,” Declan says.

“What do you want for dessert?” Ronan asks Matthew. It’s a pretty obvious attempt to change the subject. Adam almost sighs in relief. He shoots Ronan a grateful look, but Ronan isn’t looking at him. 

Adam orders _crème brûlée_ because it’s the only thing he recognizes from the menu. Matthew and Ronan both order a white chocolate milkshake, and Adam makes the mistake of saying he’s never tried it.

“You should have some,” Matthew says helpfully. 

Adam and Ronan share a quick look. Adam fumbles for an excuse to decline, but he feels trapped under Matthew’s hopeful gaze. 

Adam smiles and drinks from Ronan’s straw.

“It’s good,” Adam says. It’s a bit too sweet for him, but he’s not about to say that.

“You can have it,” Ronan says. Adam thinks he’s grossed out at Adam drinking from the same straw, but Ronan takes a long slurp from the straw before pushing his glass towards Adam.

“I hope we can see you again before we leave,” Declan says. He sounds genuine, if a bit stiff, but Adam figures that’s probably how he sounds all the time. 

“Of course,” Adam says. 

“You should come over for dinner,” Matthew says excitedly before looking at Ronan. “I missed your cooking.”

The fact that Ronan can cook surprises Adam more than it should. “I’d be happy to.”

“Have you tried Ronan’s meat pie yet?”

“Yes,” Adam says mechanically. 

“We could just order in food,” Ronan grumbles, but there’s a pleased smile on his face. “Adam loves my meat pie.”

“Is that an innuendo?” Adam deadpans before he can help it.

Ronan actually _blushes._

“Not in front of the kid,” Declan says flatly, but Adam is pretty sure it’s a joke. 

“Anyway,” Ronan says forcefully. His cheeks are still tainted pink. “You’re going to be late for work.”

Adam makes a show of checking his watch. “Right.”

“It was so nice to see you,” Matthew says when Adam and Ronan get up to leave. “When do you get off work?”

“He’ll be too tired to hang out,” Ronan interjects. Adam understands why he said it, but it almost sounds like he doesn’t want Adam around. Adam thinks of a way to soften the blow. 

“I had to get up early this morning,” Adam settles on.

“We’ll see you soon, then,” Matthew relents. Declan nods amicably. Ronan grabs Adam’s elbow and pulls him along towards the door. 

“Can’t wait,” Adam mumbles under his breath as they leave. 

——— 

“That wasn’t so bad,” Adam breathes out when they get into the car. It feels good to finally speak freely without worrying about saying the wrong thing.

“Told you,” Ronan says. He sounds relieved despite all his bravado from earlier. “Have you done this before?”

“Of course not.”

“You’re good at this.”

“I don’t think being good at lying is the compliment you think it is.”

Ronan shrugs. “Matthew likes you.”

Adam ignores the pang in his heart at the fact that they’re essentially going to spend the whole week lying to him. “Declan doesn’t?”

“I don’t know. It’s hard to tell with him.”

“I think he does.”

“I appreciate your confidence,” Ronan says dryly.

They’re both silent as Ronan drives Adam home. They should probably plan their next move, but Ronan doesn’t speak, so Adam leans his head against the seat and closes his eyes. He didn’t lie about getting up early that morning, and the lack of sleep coupled with the stress of the whole thing are catching up to him.

“Are you on for dinner?” Ronan asks after a while. His voice is low, and Adam wonders if he thought he was asleep.

“Sure. When?”

“Tuesday.”

“Okay,” Adam says.

“I’ll pick you up.”

Adam cracks an eye open. “You don’t have to.”

Ronan ignores him. “Is there anything you don’t like?”

“What?”

“Food.”

“Oh. Not really.”

“Hey,” Ronan says quietly after a minute. Adam glances over at him. “Thanks. For doing this. I really didn’t want to go on Craigslist.”

“You’re welcome,” Adam says a bit awkwardly. It’s not like Adam is doing it for free.

Ronan shifts uneasily. “It’s not weird, is it?”

“What do you mean?”

Ronan gestures vaguely without looking at Adam. “Pretending to be gay.”

Adam opens and closes his mouth a few times. “I don’t need to pretend.”

Ronan’s head snaps towards him. “You dated a girl.”

Adam is more amused than exasperated. “There’s this thing called bisexuality.”

Ronan’s mouth forms an _‘O’._ “Right. Sargent didn’t mention that.”

“She said she didn’t know if I’d be comfortable with telling you.”

Ronan’s shoulders sag a little. “I should’ve known.”

“Why?”

“Don’t think a straight guy would be so comfortable with this.”

“Maybe I’m just a really good actor.”

“You already gave the game away,” Ronan reminds him.

They’re both quiet for a moment. Adam doesn’t mean to pry, but he finds himself asking, “Why did you lie to them about dating someone?”

Ronan doesn’t seem to mind. “Declan was bragging about his girlfriend and I got pissed.”

Adam doesn’t know what he was expecting. “That’s incredibly petty.”

“He got on my case about not having anyone to bring to Christmas dinner,” Ronan says defensively. “I thought he would just forget about it.”

“You thought your brother would forget about you having a boyfriend?”

Ronan shrugs stubbornly. “I forgot Declan can’t keep his mouth shut.”

“What happened?”

“He told Matthew, and next thing I know it becomes a _thing_.”

“Mhm.”

“What?”

“Nothing.”

“Just say it.”

“I’m not in a position to judge,” Adam says dryly. “I’m getting paid to pretend to be your boyfriend.”

“I promise I won’t cut your pay.”

“Why didn’t you tell them you broke up?”

Ronan looks embarrassed. “It was too late by the time I thought of doing that.”

“I see.”

Ronan taps on the wheel. “You think this is stupid.”

Adam doesn’t know why it matters what he thinks. “I didn’t say that.”

“Your face is very transparent.” 

Adam frowns. “You sound like Blue.”

Ronan pretends to be offended. “I’m nothing like Sargent.”

“How did you become friends with Blue?” Adam asks tentatively. Adam has never bothered to ask Blue. He didn’t think he cared until now.

“Gansey was a regular at the pizzeria she worked at,” Ronan says. “He accidentally called her a prostitute.”

Adam arches an eyebrow. Blue has never mentioned that. “How do you do that accidentally?”

“Ask Gansey. He insisted on buying her a drink to make up for it, and for some reason she said yes.” 

“Beats me.”

“He begged me to tag along because he didn’t want her to think it was a date.” 

“That’s just rude.”

“He had a giant crush on her.”

“ _What?”_

Ronan snickers. “Don’t tell her I said that.”

“Why didn’t he want her to think it was a date if he had a crush on her?” 

“I don’t know what goes through Gansey’s head half the time.” 

Adam snorts. “I’m not sure he’s Blue’s type.”

“Are you calling him ugly?”

“I didn’t mean physically.”

“Do you even know what he looks like?”

Adam feels like a deer in the headlights. “She showed me a picture.”

“What did you mean, then?”

“Nothing. Forget it.”

“You’re not dating anyone, are you?” Ronan asks, eyes straight on the road. Adam casts him a curious glance. 

“You mean other than you?”

“Ha.”

“You have nothing to worry about.”

“Wouldn’t want to step on anyone’s toes.”

Their eyes meet for a second, and Adam quickly looks down at his phone. Ronan pulls over on Adam’s street a few minutes later. 

“I’ll text you,” Ronan says vaguely as Adam undoes his seatbelt. Adam bites his lip and brushes his hair out of his face. 

“Should I bring something on Tuesday?”

“Flowers,” Ronan deadpans.

“Are you being serious?”

“No. Are you trying to make a good impression?”

“Isn’t that the point of hiring someone to be your boyfriend?” Adam says a bit defensively.

Ronan shrugs. “If you say so.”

“I’m off, then,” Adam says. His phone beeps in his pocket. He makes a mental note to call Blue as soon as he gets home. 

“Yeah,” Ronan says blandly, fiddling with his car keys.

Adam gets out of the car and watches him drive away.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i hope you liked this first chapter!! please let me know what you think ;)


	2. Chapter 2

“So what’s it like to date Ronan Lynch? I’ve always wanted to know.”

Adam shoots Blue a half-hearted glare. “I wouldn’t know.”

“Are you grumpy?” Blue asks. “Was it that bad?”

“Just tired.” Adam doesn’t say that he got yelled at by a customer because _they_ got gardenias and carnations confused. “It went pretty well.”

Blue looks relieved. “I’m going to need details.”

Adam swipes the counter and takes off his gloves. “We met his brothers at a restaurant. Told them we’ve been dating for four months. Matthew said he missed you, by the way.”

“Aw,” Blue says. “What else did you tell them?”

Adam shrugs. “Basic stuff. Me and Declan talked about law school. We’re having dinner on Tuesday.”

Blue whistles. “I’m sure they liked you.”

“I’ve been told I’m very likable,” Adam says dryly. He still feels vaguely guilty about deceiving Ronan’s brothers, especially Matthew, but that’s not Adam’s problem to deal with.

“Very sad I’ll never get to watch you two acting lovey-dovey,” Blue mourns. Adam rolls his eyes at her. “You do make a nice couple.”

Adam doesn’t know why that statement isn’t entirely unpleasant. 

“Is he planning on telling them you broke up after they leave?” Blue asks.

Adam has to think about it. “I don’t think he’s thought that far ahead.”

“It’ll be kind of funny if it becomes a long-term thing.”

“I’m not doing it,” Adam says flatly. “He can find an actual boyfriend if he doesn’t want his family to think he’s single.”

“I don’t think it’s that easy for him,” Blue says carefully. “In any case, I’m glad this wasn’t a complete disaster.”

“Were you worried?”

“A bit,” Blue admits. “I wasn’t even sure you’d get along, let alone enough to sell a relationship.”

Adam puts on a smile. “I do think we can get through this without trying to kill each other.”

“What do you think of Ronan, anyway?”

Adam stills in his tracks. “What do you mean?”

“As a person.”

 _Handsome but kind of infuriating,_ is Adam’s first thought. _But also kind of nice in a roundabout way._ “I don’t know,” Adam says instead, because he’s not about to say any of that to Blue. “He’s fine, I guess.”

“I don’t know why you’ve never met before,” Blue muses. “We should hang out together after this. I can introduce you to Gansey, too.”

“Don’t you think it’ll be awkward?”

“It’s not like you’re actually exes,” Blue counters. 

“I guess not.”

“Are you ready for Tuesday?”

“Sure,” Adam says with more confidence than he feels. “It can’t be that bad if lunch went well, right?”

“You’ll be fine,” Blue says. “Just make sure to get your story straight and you’ll be alright.”

Adam chooses to believe her.

———

_do you know italian_

Adam frowns at his phone.

_No?_

Ronan’s reply comes a few minutes later.

_you should look up a few words_

_declan thinks you’re studying it_

Adam makes an exasperated noise.

_What the hell?_

_i said that months ago and for some stupid reason he remembered it_

_i told him you were a beginner_

Adam resists the urge to slam his head against his desk. 

_Why did you tell Declan your boyfriend spoke italian unprompted?_

_it wasn’t unprompted_

_Well, I don’t know if I’m committed enough to this to learn a whole new language._

_don’t worry about it_

_we’ll just tell him you’re not comfortable speaking it yet_

Adam sighs.

_Fine._

_you still on for tuesday right_

_Yes._

_I’m not going to stand you up if you’re worried about that._

_cool_

_i’m making pot roast_

_Nice._

_what do you want for dessert_

Adam’s fingers hover over his phone.

_Shouldn’t you ask Matthew?_

The three dots appear and disappear a few times.

_never mind_

Adam wonders if he said something wrong, but the next reply comes before he can make anything of it.

 _my roommate won’t be_ _home so it’ll be just the four of us_

_Is Gansey your roommate?_

_yeah_

Adam is rather glad he’s not going to meet Gansey for the first time while pretending to be dating Blue’s other friend. 

_i’ll pick you up at 7_

_Okay,_ Adam texts back, and gets back to his readings.

_———_

Adam spends longer than he’s comfortable admitting deciding what to wear. 

By the time Ronan texts him to tell him he’ll be there in five, Adam has just slipped on a navy button-up and shiny black trousers. He knows it doesn’t really matter what he’s wearing, but Adam tells himself if he’s going to get paid to be someone’s date and have dinner with their family, he would rather look nice doing it.

Ronan looks him up and down when Adam opens the car door before catching himself and averting his gaze. Adam wonders if he’s made some kind of faux pas, but Adam can’t see how that’s possible with such a neutral fit.

“You look nice,” Ronan says five minutes into the drive. It sounds more like he’s stating a fact than making a compliment, and Adam has to remind himself Ronan is probably just glad his fake date looks nice for his brothers rather than... whatever the part of Adam’s brain that can’t help noticing that Ronan is one of the most attractive men he’s ever seen wants him to think.

“Thanks,” Adam says. The following silence is a bit awkward, so Adam clears his throat and racks his brain for something to say. “Are your brothers already there?”

“Yeah,” Ronan says. He sounds a bit distracted, but Adam doesn’t ask.

“I learned a few italian phrases,” Adam says. Ronan gives a little snort.

“At least now you can get by if you ever go to Italy.”

“I have no plans to go there. And I’m pretty sure you can get by if you know english.”

Ronan shoots him a look. “It could be worse. I could’ve told Declan you spoke irish.” 

“Do _you_ speak irish?”

“A little bit.”

It’s a pretty short drive to Ronan’s place. Matthew opens the door as soon as he hears the lock click open and immediately gives Adam a hug.

Adam freezes for a moment before composing himself and awkwardly patting his back.

“Adam! How are you doing?”

“Good,” Adam says. “How are you?”

Matthew drags Adam into the living room while Ronan goes straight to the kitchen. Declan looks up from his phone and nods at Adam, and Adam is hit by just how much he looks like Ronan. He doesn’t draw Adam’s gaze the way Ronan does though. 

Ronan sets the table ten minutes later and Matthew gets up to help him. The food is really good. Dessert is strawberry rolls with cream cheese, and Adam has to admit Ronan is a _really_ good cook. 

“Ronan told me you took italian lessons,” Declan says halfway through dessert. Ronan freezes next to him. Adam was really hoping hard that wouldn’t come up. 

“Yes,” Adam says with a strained smile. “I’m still just a beginner though.”

“Italy is a nice country,” Declan says regally. Adam nods as if he has any idea if that’s true or not.

“Ronan said you went to Vienna last month,” Matthew chirps. “Was it fun?”

“Very,” Adam says with as much enthusiasm as he can manage. He hopes Matthew doesn’t ask to see pictures. 

“Do you live alone, Adam?” Declan asks out of the blue.

“Yes.”

“Ronan said you had a roommate,” Matthew says, frowning a bit.

 _Crap._ “He moved out,” Adam says quickly. He has to stop himself from glaring at Ronan. 

“Are you going to move in together soon?” Matthew asks, bless his heart.

“Matthew,” Declan chides. “That’s none of our business.” Adam doubts he would have asked Adam about his living situation if he really believed that.

Adam cringes internally, but it’s impossible to get mad at Matthew. “We’re… thinking about it.” He nudges Ronan under the table. Adam could really use some help right now. 

“Are you?” Matthew asks, looking at Adam expectantly. Declan shoots him a disapproving look, but he looks at Adam with the same expectant expression on his face. 

Ronan suddenly grabs Adam’s hand from the table. Adam almost startles. 

“Do you like the rolls?” Ronan asks, completely ignoring their previous conversation. 

The change of topic is way too abrupt, but if Ronan took Adam’s hand to distract the other two people at the table, it certainly worked. Matthew is gaping at them, and even Declan looks slightly dazed.

“Yes,” Adam says. His voice is a bit high. He swallows weakly. “So good.”

“Hmm,” Ronan says appreciatively. Declan excuses himself to the bathroom. Ronan lets go of Adam’s hand. Adam’s skin tingles a little where Ronan was touching him. 

It’s late by the time they move back to the living room. Declan goes to Ronan’s room to make a call. Adam chats with Matthew for a bit, and then he follows Ronan into the kitchen under the pretense of helping him with the dishes. 

“We’re thinking about it, huh?” Ronan drawls when Adam leans next to him on the counter. It takes Adam a second to place what he’s talking about.

“Shut up,” Adam whispers. “Why did you tell them I had a roommate?”

“That was weeks ago. They asked if we were planning to move in together.”

“We haven’t even been together that long,” Adam mumbles. 

Matthew pops into the kitchen just as Adam grabs a dish towel and starts drying the dishes.

“We’re putting on a movie. You coming?”

“I should probably head back,” Adam says. It’s already half past ten, and they should probably not push their luck.

Matthew frowns. “Aren’t you staying the night?”

“I don’t think—”

“Come on,” Matthew says excitedly. “Ronan can drive you back after breakfast tomorrow. Do you have class?”

“I—”

“Please,” Matthew says. Adam can’t believe he’s using _puppy eyes_ on him. 

Ronan is suspiciously quiet the whole time.

“...Fine,” Adam relents after a beat. This is probably a terrible idea, and he doesn’t even dare look at Ronan, but saying no to Matthew would be akin to kicking a kitten in the face. “I only have class in the afternoon.”

“Yes!” Matthew coos. “We’ll wait for you, then.”

Adam glances at Ronan worriedly. He almost expects him to be angry, but Ronan looks more amused than anything.

“Can’t say no to Matthew, can you?”

“Shit,” Adam confirms.

“It’s fine. I’ll drive you back before your class.”

“Are you mad?” Adam asks carefully, just to make sure.

Ronan shrugs. “Why would I be?”

Adam sighs. “We should join them for the movie.”

They end up watching two movies back to back. Adam is barely paying attention, and he dozes off halfway through the second movie. He wakes up with his head on Ronan’s shoulder, and it takes everything in him not to violently jerk away.

“You fell asleep,” Matthew tells Adam. Adam can’t look at Ronan, so he scrubs a hand across his face and asks Matthew what he missed from the movie.

It’s only when Matthew and Declan take up their space on the couch for the night that Adam realizes the very obvious problem that should’ve occurred to him immediately. From the look on Ronan’s face, the realization hits him full force at the same time as Adam. 

Adam is going to have to sleep in Ronan’s room. In Ronan’s _bed_.

Adam follows Ronan to his room in complete silence. Ronan locks the door behind them, and they stare at each other blankly for a few beats. 

“I’ll sleep on the floor,” Ronan says, looking away first. It doesn’t feel like a win. 

“I,” Adam trails off. He doesn’t actually know what to say. It’s not like they have any other option, but letting Ronan sleep on the floor seems a bit _extreme._ And Adam is the one who accepted to stay the night when Matthew asked. 

“I’ll take the floor,” Adam says. Ronan pulls off his comforter and lays it out on the floor. 

“It’s fine. Just take the bed.”

“I said I’ll take the floor.”

“I’m used to sleeping on the floor,” Ronan argues. 

“I don’t mind.”

“Look,” Ronan starts. They’re being a bit too loud, and Adam glances at the door. “You don’t need to be so—” 

“We can share the bed,” Adam blurts out. His voice is low, and he’s not sure if it’s because he doesn’t want Declan and Matthew to hear them or because he’s too embarrassed to say it any louder.

Ronan freezes comically, hand suspended in mid-air. 

Adam doesn’t let himself get flustered. “Your bed is big enough. We can just—share.”

Ronan seems like he suffered a short circuit for a second, but to his credit, he quickly collects himself. “You sure?”

“Yes,” Adam says, sounding more casual than he feels. “It’s not a big deal.”

Adam has never shared a bed with anyone he wasn’t sleeping with, but he quickly shuts down that train of thought. Two adult men should be able to share a bed without making it painfully awkward. 

Never mind that they were pretending to be together, or that Adam spent the last few days noticing just how attractive Ronan was. Adam can control himself just fine. 

“Alright then,” Ronan says, sounding a bit muted. Adam wonders how he really feels about it, but Ronan’s expression doesn’t give anything away. 

Ronan lets Adam have the bathroom first, and Adam realizes he doesn’t even have a toothbrush. Adam does the best he can with just toothpaste and water. He then realizes he doesn’t have spare clothes either, but Adam can’t do anything about it. Sleeping in a button-up shirt and trousers sounds uncomfortable at best, but Adam made his bed and now he has to lie in it. Quite literally. 

When Adam steps out of the bathroom, Ronan pushes a washed out hoodie and a pair of joggers towards him.

“You can’t sleep in that,” Ronan points out. Adam wonders if he’s avoiding Adam’s gaze on purpose.

“Thanks,” Adam says awkwardly. The clothes smell a lot like Ronan. Adam wasn’t even aware he knew what Ronan smelled like until now. “I’ll just—”

Adam goes back into the bathroom to change out of his clothes. When he comes back into the room, Ronan has put the comforter back on the bed, his back to Adam. Before Adam can signal that he’s there, Ronan pulls his shirt over his head and tosses it under his bed.

Adam quickly turns around. He feels stupid, but he’d rather feel stupid than be caught gawking at Ronan’s back.

More precisely, the giant tattoo splashed across Ronan’s back. 

Ronan must realize that he’s there, because he makes a muffled noise and hurriedly opens his closet. Adam counts to ten and tells himself embarrassment has never killed anyone. 

“Chainsaw’s asleep,” Ronan says a second later, sounding only slightly mortified. 

“What?” Adam chokes out, still facing away from him.

“The bird.”

Adam looks over at the cage in the corner of Ronan’s room. “I forgot you had a pet bird.”

Ronan sits on the bed fully clothed. Adam looks around, like he’s looking for something to do so he doesn’t have to get into bed just yet. 

“Can I use your charger?” Adam asks.

“Sure,” Ronan says without looking up.

Adam hadn’t even realized his phone was about to die until he plugs it in. He has a new text from Blue asking how it’s going, and Adam shoots her a quick _spending the night here, talk to you tomorrow_ so she won’t try to call.

When Adam looks up, Ronan is lying down on the bed, and his shirt is hanging low around his neck. Adam’s eyes are immediately drawn to the intricate pattern inked onto his skin.

“You’re staring,” Ronan mutters. Adam almost jumps.

“Sorry,” Adam mumbles.

“Wanna see the tattoo?”

Adam’s head snaps towards him, but Ronan’s voice is the definition of nonchalant. He probably just wants to show off his tattoo. Adam swallows around his dry throat. “Okay.”

Ronan gives Adam an unreadable look before sitting up with his back to Adam and pulling his shirt over his head.

The tattoo is certainly something. Adam can’t pretend to know much about tattoos, but there’s something fascinating about the inky lines that run across Ronan’s back. It almost makes Adam want to trace his fingers over them. 

Adam immediately nips that thought in the bud. “It’s…. Wow.”

Not very eloquent, but Ronan doesn’t seem to mind. His voice is proud when he says, “I drew it myself.”

“Really?”

“Yeah.”

“You did a good job.”

“Thanks,” Ronan says. He sounds a bit awkward now. “I got it when I was sixteen.”

“Your parents let you?” Adam asks before he can stop himself. _Shit_. Ronan has mentioned his parents being dead, and Adam has no idea when that happened. 

Ronan is silent for a second before he exhales a bit shakily. “I got it after they…. After the accident.”

Adam feels a lump form in his throat. “I’m sorry.”

“Yeah,” Ronan says. A shadow passes over his face. Adam wants—Adam wants to reach out to him and put his hand on his shoulder or... Something. But he can’t, because they’re not even friends, and their whole relationship is based on a lie, and Adam has no idea if it would be welcome or not. 

“We should sleep,” Ronan says after a beat of silence, and just like that the moment is gone.

“Are you sure you don’t want me to sleep on the floor?” Adam asks one last time.

Ronan rolls his eyes. “I used to share a bed with my brothers all the time. This is fine.” 

Adam really doesn’t know if he appreciates that comparison. “Alright.”

They turn off the lights, and Adam waits until Ronan’s breath evens out before he tries to fall asleep.

———

The first thing Adam notices when he wakes up is that he’s not in his room.

The second thing he notices is that there’s a weight pressed against his back and a strong arm around his waist. Adam panics blindly for exactly three seconds before it all comes back to him, and then he panics even _more_.

 _Fuck._ Adam doesn’t dare move, because he doesn’t want to wake Ronan up. He would very much like to extricate himself from this situation before anyone, including Ronan, can know this happened. That way no one has to think about it, and Adam just has to pretend it didn’t happen.

Of course, Adam is out of luck.

“Mm-hmm,” Ronan sighs against Adam’s neck. Adam goes entirely still, but to not avail. Adam can tell the exact moment Ronan wakes up, because he goes completely rigid, his arm around Adam retracting so fast Adam almost worries he dislocated something.

Adam wonders if he should pretend to be asleep, but before he can decide, there’s a knock on the door. Ronan swears under his breath and jumps up from the bed so fast Adam wonders how he didn’t fall.

“Ronan?” Declan’s voice filters through the door. “It’s half past ten.”

Adam mentally congratulates Declan on his timing. 

“Do we have somewhere to be I don’t know about?” Ronan hisses. He probably thinks Adam is asleep. Adam thanks his lucky stars.

Declan and Ronan bicker for a few minutes at the door. Adam has already committed to pretending to be asleep, so he keeps his eyes closed until Ronan gets into the bathroom and Adam hears the shower turn on. 

They join Declan and Matthew at the breakfast table. Matthew made banana pancakes, and he insists on Adam trying them first. Adam is so endeared he doesn’t even care if it tastes like Matthew poured three bags of sugar into it.

“Coffee?” Ronan asks Adam sleepily.

Ronan seems to realize he has no idea how Adam drinks his coffee right after he asks. Adam resigns himself to drinking whatever Ronan serves him, but Ronan mumbles _shit, hold on, I forgot to feed Chainsaw_ and hightails it out of the kitchen.

“I hope you had a good night,” Declan tells Adam. Adam wonders if he’s imagining the suggestive lilt in his tone.

“We did,” Adam says. “I mean, I did.”

Matthew huffs a surprised laugh. Even Declan gets a small smile on his face. It shouldn’t feel like a win, but it does. 

“Adam,” Declan says seriously. He sounds hesitant, and vaguely constipated, but determined to get his point across. “I was a bit skeptical at first, but I believe this is really good for Ronan. I genuinely hope you’re taking this as seriously as he—”

“What Declan is trying to say is that we’re really happy for you two,” Matthew cuts in with a smile. It goes straight to Adam’s heart, but not in a good way. “We know Ronan isn’t the easiest person to live with, but I promise you he’s worth it.”

“I,” Adam croaks out. He can’t even begin to imagine what to say to that. Adam is once again hit with how messed up this whole situation is, and he feels so guilty it almost chokes him up. 

Thankfully, Adam is saved from having to say anything as Ronan slips back into the kitchen. Declan makes a comment about Matthew’s bedhead, and Ronan gives Adam a secretive smile from behind his cup, and Adam realizes with a jolt that he’s in way over his head and that losing this is going to hurt so much more than Adam could have possibly anticipated.

Adam doesn’t have the first clue what to do about it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> yes i’m a basic bitch yes i’m gonna sneak every cliché possible into my fake dating fic  
> last chapter soon!


	3. Chapter 3

Ronan drives Adam to school in the afternoon.

Two of Adam’s classmates ask Adam if that was his boyfriend dropping him off, and Adam pretends not to hear them because he has no idea if they’re supposed to lie to other people or not.

Adam finds a text from Ronan after his class asking him if he wants to go back to his place. This is probably the last Adam will see of Matthew and Declan, and Adam tells himself that it’ll look bad if he doesn’t say goodbye and doesn’t think about how much he wants to hang out with them—and _Ronan_ —one last time.

They pick up donuts and coffee on their way. Ronan is weirdly quiet the whole ride, but he keeps throwing glances at Adam when he thinks Adam isn’t looking. Adam tries to catch his gaze, but Ronan looks away every time Adam looks at him.

“Is something the matter?” Adam asks after a while.

“No,” Ronan says immediately. He fiddles with the stereo, turns up the volume, then turns it off again. “Matthew and Declan leave tomorrow.”

Adam can’t tell if he’s relieved the charade will finally be over or not. “I know,” Adam says in a neutral voice.

“Do you—” Ronan starts, then goes silent. Adam is getting a bit agitated. “They really like you.”

“Okay?” Adam says flatly. Adam doesn’t know why that matters at all. It would only matter if all of this was real, and their current conversation is a painful reminder that it’s far from being the case.

Ronan’s lips form a thin line. “This sucks.”

“What sucks?”

“This—I wasn’t expecting this to feel so real.”

Adam’s heart skips a beat. “What do you mean?”

Ronan looks like he wants to say something else before changing his mind. “I guess I didn’t think about how shitty it’d feel to lie to my brothers.”

Adam can sympathize with that. _Adam_ feels like shit for lying to them and they’re not even his family. “I know.”

“I don’t normally lie to people,” Ronan says forcefully, like he really wants Adam to understand that. Like it suddenly matters to him that Adam knows he’s not a pathological liar.

“Okay,” Adam says as gently as he can.

Ronan seems to hesitate, scratching the back of his head. “We’ve met before, by the way.”

“What?” Adam says, heart racing.

“At Blue’s graduation party,” Ronan says. He looks about as embarrassed as Adam feels. “You—you were drunk.”

“Oh,” Adam says stupidly. He has no idea what else to say. He really thought Ronan forgot.

“I don’t know why I didn’t tell you before. I guess…. I guess I didn’t want us to start off on the wrong foot.”

“Hm,” Adam says, swallowing around his dry throat. “I remember.”

Ronan’s head snaps towards him. “What?”

“Yeah.”

“Why didn’t you say anything?”

“Why didn’t you?” Adam counters.

Ronan laughs in disbelief. “Touché.”

“It doesn’t matter,” Adam says hurriedly. “I was kind of a dick.”

“ _You_ were kind of a dick?” Ronan says incredulously. “I’m pretty sure I won that round.”

“Why are you bringing this up now?” Adam asks instead of engaging in that game of chicken.

Ronan stills for a moment. “I don’t know. It felt wrong to keep it from you. I thought you didn’t remember.”

Adam scoffs. “I wasn’t that drunk.”

“Drunk enough to threaten to throw your drink at me,” Ronan says, a small smile curling his lips. Adam’s heart does a funny thing in his chest.

Adam winces. “Are you trying to embarrass me?”

Ronan pretends to think about it. “Kinda.”

“Jerk.”

“Why did you accept Blue’s offer if you knew who I was?” Ronan asks. “I thought you hated my guts.”

“Technically, I didn’t,” Adam admits. “I didn’t know which of Blue’s friends it was until after I said yes.”

“Mhm.”

“And I didn’t hate your guts. Don’t be dramatic,” Adam says. Sure, he might not have gotten the best first impression of Ronan Lynch, and he might have overreacted a bit when he’d first realized he was the friend who needed Adam’s help, but Adam’s general feelings towards him were more along the lines of _he’s hot as hell_ than _I hate that guy._

“Seemed like it.”

“Well, I don’t hate you now,” Adam says. He hates how earnest it sounds, but he can’t do anything about it.

“You don’t,” Ronan says quietly. It sounds like a question. He still doesn’t meet Adam’s gaze.

“No,” Adam says faintly.

Ronan inhales deeply. “Do you think… Do you want—”

Before Ronan can finish his sentence, Adam’s phone rings in his lap. They both jump, and Adam curses internally at Blue’s timing.

“Hello?” Adam answers. He sounds a bit stiff, but he doubts Blue will be able to pick up on it.

“Adam! Where are you?”

“In the car with Ronan,” Adam mumbles. “We’re going back to his place.”

“Oh,” Blue says thoughtfully. She pauses, and Adam can literally see the gears turning in her head. “I’ll call you later then. Say hi to Matthew for me.”

“Hello to you too, Sargent,” Ronan deadpans.

“And Ronan,” Blue amends, not sounding abashed at all.

“What were you saying?” Adam asks when Blue hangs up. Ronan stills for a second before shrugging with practiced indifference, and Adam feels a pang of disappointment.

“Nothing. Forget it.”

The rest of the afternoon is pretty uneventful. Adam plays cards with Matthew and Ronan, then sits next to Declan while Matthew and Ronan go out for a short trip to the store. They eat donuts, drink coffee, and Adam doesn’t even realize it’s already evening until Matthew asks what they should have for dinner.

“You should visit us in DC,” Matthew says at some point. They’re sitting on the couch, Adam practically in Ronan’s lap because Declan is taking a nap on the other couch. Adam reasons with himself that it would look highly suspicious if he moved away.

“Maybe,” Ronan says vaguely. His hand is resting on Adam’s thigh. Adam did say he didn’t mind PDA, but now he wonders if he doesn’t mind it a bit _too_ much.

“By the way,” Matthew says after Ronan is done ordering dinner, “You still haven’t told me how you met.”

Adam blanks out for a moment before remembering the story they agreed on, but Ronan beats him to it. “We met through Blue.”

“I know that.”

“There’s not much to say,” Ronan says. Adam thinks he might have forgotten their cover story, but then Ronan says, “We met at a party.”

Adam freezes minutely. That wasn’t the plan. He tries not to look too surprised, but he shoots Ronan a quizzical look. Ronan ignores him, eyes fixed on the carpet.

“Adam was drunk. He’ll tell you he wasn’t _that_ drunk, but he was pretty damn wasted. He bumped into me, and when I told him to look where he was going, he threatened to throw his drink at me.”

Matthew looks on gleefully, completely oblivious to Adam’s internal freakout.

“I thought he was really hot,” Ronan goes on. His cheeks are flushed red, and he’s very studiously avoiding looking at Adam. Adam thinks he understands what’s going on, but he can’t help but feel like this is all a bad joke being played on him. “I was pretty sure he hated me after that, so I never tried to know him better.”

“What happened then?” Matthew asks eagerly.

A complicated expression crosses Ronan’s face, but it’s gone in a blink. “We met again a few months later. He’d forgotten all about our first encounter and asked for my number. We texted for a few weeks, and then we went out for pizza.”

“Is this your first time hearing about this?” Matthew asks a bit worriedly, glancing at Adam. Adam forces a smile, but his head is spinning in circles.

“No. We talked about it. I told him I didn’t actually forget.”

“That’s really funny,” Matthew says. “Also kind of cute.”

“I told him,” Adam starts, gathering his nerves, “that I thought he was really attractive, too. And that I didn’t hate him at all.”

“Sounds like something from a movie,” Matthew quips. Adam would tend to agree. He can’t believe this is his life now.

“Yeah,” Ronan says, sounding so dazed Adam is surprised Matthew doesn’t notice, “I guess it does.”

**———**

The ride back home is the most uncomfortable silence Adam has ever had to sit through in his life.

Adam is determined not to break it first.

Ronan parks in front of Adam’s building and turns off the ignition. Adam wonders if they’re both stubborn enough that Adam will get out of the car without them exchanging a single word, but Ronan quickly proves him wrong.

“Matthew and Declan leave first thing in the morning,” Ronan says. It’s an obvious deflection from what they should be talking about, but Adam doesn’t mind.

“So I guess this is it,” Adam says. He tries to sound casual, but he kind of misses the mark.

Ronan is silent for a little while. “Did you mean what you said?” He finally asks. His voice is tentative, like he’s afraid Adam might immediately shut him down.

Adam takes a breath without looking at him. “Which part?”

“The part about finding me attractive,” Ronan says, voice going low. He doesn’t meet Adam’s gaze.

“I’m not blind,” Adam says with a forced shrug. He regrets it a moment later, because there are a million smoother ways he could have replied to that, but there’s no taking it back.

Ronan’s face falls a bit. “Is that so.”

Adam shifts in his seat. “Look, Ronan—”

“Go out with me.”

Adam freezes, his heart skipping multiple beats. Ronan is staring ahead at the windshield, his face looking flushed even in the dark. “Not a fake date. A real one. If you want.”

Adam exhales shakily. “Okay.”

Ronan blinks at him, a bewildered expression on his face. “Okay?”

“Yeah,” Adam says. He can feel a giddy laugh bubbling in his chest. “This is hilarious.”

“What?”

Adam actually starts laughing. Ronan shoots him an alarmed look, but there’s a faint smile stretching across his lips. Adam rubs a hand across his face and tries to bite down on another laugh. “This whole thing. Going out for real after pretending to be dating. Isn’t that the plot of a movie?”

“I’d watch that,” Ronan says. His tone is teasing, but there’s a fond smile playing at his lips. Adam’s heart melts a little.

“Did you really want to get to know me after that night?” Adam asks, because he _has_ to. “It wasn’t my finest hour.”

Ronan shrugs carelessly. “You were hot. And you looked like you wanted to murder me. That usually does it for me.”

Adam gives a little snort. “That easy to get your attention?”

“You’d be surprised.”

“Blue is going to flip out,” Adam says, feeling weirdly excited at the idea.

“About that,” Ronan says awkwardly. “I don’t think she’ll be that surprised.”

Adam shoots him a curious look. “What do you mean?”

Ronan rubs at the back of his neck. “She knows that I—she knows I think you’re hot. Kind of.”

Adam is more amused than offended Blue hasn’t told him. “Did you tell Blue you thought I was hot?”

“She guessed it,” Ronan says defensively. “She made fun of me for an hour.”

“Aw.”

“She’s a menace,” Ronan grunts.

“I’m surprised she didn’t try to set us up earlier.” Adam glances at the time in the dashboard. “I should go.”

“Okay,” Ronan hums. He doesn’t seem in any hurry to leave, and neither is Adam, but it’s not like they can stay in the car all night.

Adam only thinks about it for a second. “Do you want to come up?”

“Can’t,” Ronan says regretfully. “I have to pick up some stuff for Matthew.”

“Oh,” Adam says, not trying to hide his disappointment.

“Tomorrow?” Ronan asks. Adam can tell he’s trying to sound nonchalant, but the hopeful note in his voice makes Adam smile.

“Sure,” Adam says. “I’ll be at work until five.”

“I’ll pick you up,” Ronan says. They look at each other, and Adam wonders if it would be okay to lean in and kiss him. Adam is suddenly hyperaware of how much he wants it.

“You have nice hands,” Ronan says before Adam can decide the best course of action. He looks surprised at himself, like he hasn’t meant to say it out loud. Adam follows his gaze to Adam’s hands on his lap.

“Huh,” Adam says, because he has no idea what else to say. He takes a deep breath and cups Ronan’s face, sliding his thumb down his cheek. Ronan looks transfixed, his mouth falling slightly open.

“Can I kiss you?” Adam asks, feeling strangely emboldened. He can barely recognize his own voice through the pounding in his ears.

“Fuck yeah you can,” Ronan says breathily, and closes the distance between their lips.

———

Adam is in such a good mood the next day Blue actually asks him if something is _wrong._

“Why would you think that?” Adam asks. Business is slow today, and Adam is infinitely glad Blue was here all afternoon to offer a distraction.

“I don’t know. I’m not used to seeing you this chirpy.”

“I’m not _chirpy,”_ Adam protests. He glances at his phone when he thinks Blue isn’t looking. Ronan should be here in less than an hour, and Adam would rather she leave before he shows up because he still hasn’t told her about him and Ronan—the very concept of _him and Ronan_ is taking Adam a little while to get used to—and he’s not sure how he can explain away Ronan picking Adam up from work with his brothers out of the picture. “And why would me being chirpy mean something is wrong?”

Blue shrugs, finishing the last bite of her lunch. “Forget I asked.”

“When’s your job interview?” Adam asks, trying not to sound eager to see her leave.

Blue claps her hands together and jumps up from her seat. “In an hour. Do you wanna catch a movie after I’m done?”

“I have some work to do,” Adam says vaguely. “I’ll text you later.”

Ronan walks into the shop ten minutes later. Adam is dealing with his last customer for the day, and it takes Adam a certain amount of self-restraint to keep from immediately breaking into a smile.

“Can I have a bouquet,” Ronan asks when it’s just the two of them. He sounds absolutely serious, and Adam’s lips quirk into a grin.

“A bouquet of what?” Adam asks, playing along.

Ronan leans against the counter. “I don’t know. What flowers do you get for a first date?”

“Depends. What flowers do they like?”

“I have no fucking clue.”

“You can get a mixed bouquet,” Adam offers. Ronan nods at him and arches a brow when Adam doesn’t make a move.

“Well?”

Adam huffs a laugh. “Are you for real?”

“What kind of employee asks that?”

Adam holds up his hands and bites back on another smile. “Fine.”

Ronan watches Adam as he arranges the bouquet. Once he’s done, Adam hands it to him and tries not to judge Ronan for paying for flowers with a credit card.

Ronan hangs around the store while Adam closes up shop. If Ronan notices Adam glancing at him every now and then, he doesn’t show it. Adam wonders if he’s as jittery with anticipation as Adam feels.

“So,” Ronan starts once they’re in the car. “Where do you want to go?”

Adam raises an eyebrow at him. “You asked me out. You’re supposed to have a plan.”

Ronan freezes for a second before he realizes Adam is joking. “I was thinking we could go hiking.”

Adam looks at him blankly. “Really.”

“Or take a dance class.”

“I changed my mind, can you please take me home,” Adam deadpans. Ronan gives Adam a smirk before taking off.

Ronan seems happy to drive around aimlessly for the best part of one hour. Adam relaxes against the seat and closes his eyes for a minute. He tries not to cringe when Ronan turns on the stereo, but Ronan must have been watching his reaction because he scowls at Adam and turns the volume up.

“This is real music,” Ronan claims.

“I think most people would strongly disagree.”

“Majority isn’t always right,” Ronan argues. “Most people don’t think you should get a raven as a pet.”

“I don’t think that’s a good example,” Adam points out.

“I don’t know what people do on first dates,” Ronan says. Adam is taken aback by the change of subject, but he’s even more taken aback by the implication that Ronan has never been on a first date. “I don’t usually do this.”

Adam shoots him a hesitant glance. “You don’t regret asking me out, do you?”

Ronan whirls on him so fast Adam has the reflex to steady the wheel. “No. Absolutely not. That’s not what’s happening here.”

“Okay,” Adam says, relieved when Ronan looks back at the road. “Because that sounded a bit like you were trying to get out of it.”

Ronan lets out a frustrated sigh. “I just don’t want to fuck it up,” he mutters under his breath.

Adam finds it extremely cute. “You don’t have to worry about that.”

Ronan doesn’t look convinced, so he adds, “You already got me flowers. That’s a really good first step.”

Ronan grabs the bouquet from the backseat and pushes it towards Adam. “I hope you like flowers.”

“My favorites. How did you know?”

“Had a hunch,” Ronan says. “Do you want to grab a drink?”

They end up in a small coffee shop downtown. Ronan sits in the booth next to Adam, then seems to think better of it and awkwardly moves across from him. Adam hides his amused smile behind a cough.

“Did you tell Blue?” Ronan asks after they get their orders. “About—us, I mean.”

“No,” Adam says. “Was I supposed to?”

Ronan shrugs. “Probably better she doesn’t know yet.”

“It’s not like we can keep it from her for long.”

“Bet,” Ronan says. “You haven’t told me how you met her.”

“Blue?” Adam asks idly. “We’ve been friends since high school. Hasn’t she told you?”

“No. Just that you dated in the past.” He pauses and makes a face, like he just realized something. “Is that gonna be weird?”

Adam snorts. “Blue doesn’t care who I date. It was a long time ago.”

“And you were still friends after that.”

Adam stares at him. “Are _you_ gonna be weird about me being friends with my ex?”

“What? No. I just—I can’t really imagine being friends with someone I broke up with.”

Adam shrugs. “It was pretty casual. It was a mutual breakup.”

“I don’t really do casual,” Ronan says mechanically, then bites his lip like he’s afraid that might scare Adam off.

“I think we both knew it wasn’t going to work,” Adam says instead of acknowledging that. “We were just lonely teenagers. And horny, I guess.”

Ronan almost chokes on his drink. “Thanks for the visual.”

“You’re welcome,” Adam says cheerfully. “Don’t tell Blue you imagined us having sex if you want to keep your kneecaps.”

“I’m not scared of Sargent,” Ronan says. Adam doubts the truth of that statement. “Have you ever—Um.”

“Have I ever what?”

“I was gonna ask if you’ve ever been with a man, but that’s offensive. I think.”

Adam rolls his eyes. “Yes.”

“Yes it’s offensive?”

“Yes I’ve been with a man before,” Adam corrects him. “I’m sorry you weren’t my bisexual awakening.”

Ronan takes a sip of his coffee as if to hide his embarrassment. “Do you think I should tell my brothers the truth?”

Adam eyes him carefully. “Do you want to?”

“No,” Ronan admits. “But I don’t really feel like having to keep up the lie if this becomes…. you know.”

“Has anyone ever told you you suck at communicating?” Adam asks. Ronan gives him a half-hearted glare. “It’s up to you. We could wait to see if this goes anywhere before you tell them.”

Ronan shifts in his seat. “Yeah. Okay.”

Adam downs the rest of his coffee. “Do you want to go back to my place?”

Ronan seems to hesitate for a moment before he says, “Sure.”

“We can just hang out,” Adam clarifies. Adam would very much like to do more than just hang out, but Ronan doesn’t seem the type to do much after a first date. He did kiss Adam yesterday, though, so maybe they can do a _little_ more than just that.

“I don’t put out on the first date,” Ronan says like he’s read Adam’s mind. He’s smirking, but Adam can tell he’s vaguely embarrassed. Adam wonders why. “You don’t even get to kiss me until the third date.”

“We made out for fifteen minutes in your car yesterday,” Adam reminds him before he can help it. “And I wasn’t thinking about sex anyway.”

Ronan makes a noncommittal noise. “I need to text Gansey. If that’s alright.”

“Why are you asking me?”

Ronan scowls. “I just didn’t want to be rude. Isn’t it bad etiquette to pull out your phone during a date?”

Adam lifts a brow at him. “You’re not as bad at this as you said you were.”

Ronan avoids his gaze. “I saw it on the internet.”

Adam stares at him incredulously. “Did you _google_ first date tips?”

Ronan ignores him and picks up his phone. Adam hates how stupidly endeared he is.

“Well, shit,” Ronan says after a minute. Before Adam can ask what’s wrong, Adam’s phone buzzes with three consecutive texts from Blue.

“Gansey told Blue we were on a date,” Ronan says with a wince. “Sorry.”

Adam groans. “She’s gonna be pissed I didn’t tell her.”

_you’re on a date with ronan???????_

_why didn’t you tell me_

_was he just fucking with gansey_

Adam snorts. “She thinks you were messing with Gansey.”

“I like that she thinks it’s more plausible than you agreeing to go on a date with me,” Ronan drawls.

“I’m sure she didn’t mean it like that.”

“She definitely did,” Ronan says, not sounding offended at all.

They end up back in Ronan’s car a moment later. The drive to Adam’s apartment is quiet, but Adam doesn’t mind. When Adam makes to get out of the car, Ronan grabs his wrist in a soft grip. Adam shoots him a questioning look but doesn’t pull back.

“Was this good? The date, I mean.” Ronan asks, biting his lip. He sounds genuinely worried, and Adam wonders just how nervous Ronan actually was about asking Adam out.

Adam smiles at him reassuringly. “It was great.”

“So I can ask you out again.”

“Sure,” Adam says. “I was counting on it.”

“You look really good,” Ronan says after a beat of silence. His eyes are trailing over Adam’s face, and Adam’s gaze instinctively falls on his lips.

“Thanks,” Adam says awkwardly. “I’m not really dressed for a date.”

“I wasn’t talking about your clothes.”

“Oh.”

Before Adam can think of anything else to say, Ronan pulls him into a kiss.

Adam pulls away seconds later just enough to say, “You can just come up, you know.”

“Making out in a car is hotter,” Ronan mutters against his mouth.

“It’s also vaguely illegal.”

“Can you just stop talking,” Ronan says. Adam wonders if he should be offended by that, but Ronan’s hand presses into the small of his back, and all protests die on Adam’s tongue.

(Somewhere along the way, Adam ends up on Ronan’s lap, and the steering wheel is digging into his back, and Ronan’s hands are slipping under his shirt, and Adam thinks Ronan might be right about that.)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hi everyone!! i’d like to apologize for the delay, my mental health has taken a turn for the Worse and i’m kind of just trying and failing to keep it together :). i hope this final chapter was worth it! thank you so much for reading and i hope everyone is doing well <3 take care and stay safe wherever you are!


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